TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The last time Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis took on former President Donald Trump, he bumped into one of the most powerful operatives in Republican politics.
But now, as Trump lines up against DeSantis in a battle over a high-profile ballot initiative to legalize marijuana in Florida, the governor’s old ally Jeff Roe is working against him.
The famed GOP operative, whose reputation is built on a one-stop political firm that rakes in tens of millions of dollars each election cycle, once headed a super PAC supporting DeSantis’ presidential campaign. Before that, Roe helped raise money for DeSantis’ long-shot 2018 gubernatorial bid.
But relations soured after DeSantis’ presidential ambitions flared. DeSantis had loved ones fall With a team led by Roe, he ran a “Never Back Down” campaign, pointing the finger at a presidential campaign that didn’t go as well as anyone expected.
Now, nearly a year after that explosion, Roe is on the verge of getting the 60% voter approval needed to add legalization of recreational marijuana to the Florida constitution, something DeSantis has forcefully opposed and spent significant money — both political and taxpayer dollars — to defeat. is working
Three Republican operatives who previously worked for pro-DeSantis efforts said the battle between the two men and their operations has become personal as the campaign’s animosity spills over into the fight.
“To say Confucius is personal, I think, would be a gross understatement,” says one. “The initiative itself is politically very important to DeSantis, but there’s an added layer of motivation to all of this.”
“It became personal for both parties,” the second person said. “I mean, towards the end [of the presidential campaign]DeSantis’ top staff and men traveled the state, if not the country, touting Roe as a money-spender who had been mishandled by the governor. So I think there’s a desire to win Roe and show the world that he’s not that guy. I think you have the DeSantis people who are mad at Jeff for whatever reason.
A major group opposing the amendment and DeSantis’ office declined to comment for this story. Roe also declined to comment.
DeSantis is spending serious political capital to stop the passage of two amendments this November: one that would legalize recreational marijuana, and another establishes abortion rights in the state. The latter would repeal the state’s six-week abortion ban, one of the governor’s most significant legislative accomplishments.
But DeSantis has a fight on his hands.
in June, Fox News survey It found that 66% of Florida voters favored legalizing marijuana, while only 32% opposed it — and that came before Trump said he would support it. marijuana initiative. (On the abortion measure, Trump balked a bit, but finally said in August that as a Florida resident vote againstAccording to DeSantis’ position.)
“It’s tough, it’s an uphill battle out there,” a DeSantis ally said of the battle against recreational marijuana. “The other side has a ton of money. Over $100 million. So anytime you’re up against that much money, it’s obviously an uphill battle.
But the involvement of Roe and his firm, Axiom, adds another wrinkle to the fight. Their participation it was reported for the first time last yearWhile DeSantis was still running for president. And as Axiom officials noted, the firm’s work on the initiative became apparent to DeSantis before Roe signed on to lead the super PAC supporting his 2022 candidacy as it began work on the initiative. issue.
“No, it wasn’t a concern,” said an Axiom official working against DeSantis on the matter. “We certainly know from the beginning where the governor stands on this position, and we know that he’s been very helpful to the industry and helped build medical marijuana infrastructure and leadership in the state.”
The person added that DeSantis is campaigning against the initiative “as if it’s his name on the ballot.”
“We support this initiative of President Trump and a number of other Republican leaders,” he said. “It’s obviously a different idea [DeSantis] there is.”
Other prominent DeSantis supporters are also in potentially difficult political positions. Tallahassee-based lobbying firms Ballard Partners and Capital City Consulting — DeSantis allies who both helped his presidential campaign — represent Trulieve, a Florida-based medical marijuana company that is funding the amendment effort. The two firms acknowledged to NBC News that they are Trulieve’s lobbying clients but are not involved in the remediation effort.
Anthony Farhat, a Florida-based home builder and Republican donor who knows DeSantis and Roe, said he doesn’t doubt there are tensions between the two parties, but he thinks the perception of the competition is driven by the staff working for each. By Roe and DeSantis themselves.
“I don’t think either Ron or Jeff wake up in the morning thinking about each other,” she said. “The lower ranks, the cast, maybe, but I think to some extent his characters ignite the flame.”
“I’ve never heard Jeff give a cross word about Ron, quite the opposite,” he said.
Smart and Safe Florida, the political committee advocating for passage of the marijuana measure, has raised $100 million through September, almost all of which came from Trulieve. The committee has paid more than $58 million to Roe firms since January 2023. Florida The Republican Party, including GOP state Sen. Joe Gruters, a close Trump ally, has officially opposed the measure’s passage. appeared in an advertisement supports their efforts.
“Amendment 3 has broad support from Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and Independents in Florida because it protects individual liberties and will end the unnecessary incarceration of adults for simple possession of marijuana,” said Morgan Hill, a spokesperson for Smart and Safe Florida. , – the statement said.
In fighting the effort, DeSantis and allies rested on the message that if the initiative passes, many public places could smell of marijuana.
“Governorship hates Trulieve. I think it’s directly related to the amendment and Roe — I’m not sure there was a bad blood level before,” he said. “I would definitely say that it looks like teams are going [a personal rivalry].”
The person said they would relish the opportunity to defeat Roe after DeSantis’ chief of staff, James Uthmeier, and his political allies believed he played a role in the sinking of the presidential campaign.
“And I’m sure [Roe] feels the same,” said the person.
Uthmeier declined to comment.
Farhat, a GOP donor who knows both DeSantis and Roe, said the competition is not as fierce as some might think. He compared the situation to legendary quarterback Tom Brady leaving the New England Patriots, owned by Robert Kraft.
“If you compare it to sports, I think that relationship is Robert Kraft and Tom Brady,” he said. “They’re both patriotic in the past, but he’s gone [Tampa Bay Buccaneers] and won the Super Bowl. [Brady] He did not hesitate to go to New England and win a game there.
“But when it was all over,” Farhat added, “they embraced it.”
Matt Dixon reported from Tallahassee, Florida; Allan Smith reported from New York.